fix it
by NonsensicalLyrics
Summary: written in honor of Makorra week, 5 scenes slightly skewed "But the selfish part of his heart that he had learned recently was so much larger than he always thought couldn't stand the idea of more time passing,when he has already wasted so much."


the title I guess could refer to either Mako trying to fix his mistakes or to me being a horrible awful fan who dares to question the judgment of the creatorgods and thinks in her hubris that she could _possibly_ identify and improve on weaknesses in canon

basically, 5 scenes, slightly skewed, to prove to myself and hopefully others that Makorra really could have been an awesome relationship in show with only some slight adjustments.

* * *

**_episode 7, the aftermath_**

On the airship ride from the Sato mansion, after the the discovery of Hiroshi Sato's underground factory and the capture of Lin's metalbenders, none of the four teens aboard felt much like talking – though the air was heavy with things needing to be said. Bolin stood off to one side, solemn and silent for once, lost in his own thoughts, while Asami gazed out the back windows, watching the home her father built grow smaller and smaller.

Korra for her part stood at a respectful distance and tried to ignore the way Mako hovered between herself and his girlfriend, a satellite caught between the gravity of two stars.

The Avatar clenched her jaw and did her best to bite back her annoyance. This wasn't the time to dwell on Mako and his issues – there were much more important problems at hand.

Crossing her arms she gazed out the window nearest her, taking in the lights of the city and the people, like antbeatles, traversing its streets.

How many of them were Equalists, or sympathized with the Equalist cause?

How many of them had used their bending to hurt others?

How could she ever bring peace back to Republic City when not even her friends, her teammates, had faith in her?

Feeling the heat from his body as he drew near, Korra turned to look at the firebender. Finally made up his mind, apparently, at least about one thing.

She waited for him to speak.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you," he said, and for a treacherous moment Korra felt herself melt.

"But Asami's dad being and Equalist is not an easy thing to believe," he continued. "Even now."

She stared at him for a moment, face blank, then looked back towards the city. It _was _hard to believe, especially after he had sponsored there team. And it must have been even harder for Mako to swallow the fact that the man who must have seemed like his savior from a life of scraping and scrabbling was actually and ally to their greatest enemy.

But then she recalled the things he had said earlier.

_Are you that jealous of me and Asami?_

Her heart clenched at the memory, and she stopped melting. She closed her eyes, unable to even look at him.

"Is that really what you think of me?" Her voice was quiet but edged with anger and hurt.

"What I think of you... what do you mean?"

And now the anger overwhelmed the hurt, and she turned herself fully towards him and looked him square in the eye.

"Do you really think that I would accuse and innocent man because I was _jealous _of his daughter_? _That I would be that petty?"

Mako's eyes widened and his mouth gaped for a moment, caught completely off guard.

"Wha -? No! Of course I don't think -"

"Really? Because that's not how it sounded earlier, when you said that if I didn't drop it our friendship was over." Korra struggled to keep her voice down despite the way her blood pounded in her ears.

Shame flooded his face as he recognized the words as his own.

"I didn't mean it. It just seemed like, after everything that happened between us, I thought..."

The Avatar narrowed her eyes. "You though what? That I would abuse my position over some stupid love triangle? I have a duty to the _world_, Mako. Not everything's about you."

Her words hung in the air, ringing in both their ears despite the low volume at which they were spoken. She couldn't even begin to read all the emotions flitting over the firebender's face, but one she did catch was panic. And guilt.

"Korra," he said at last after a long, too long, silence, reaching out to her with one hand. "I'm so s-"

She caught his wrist before his hand could reach its intended destination on her shoulder.

"Asami's been through a lot. She's really going to need you." She watched as Mako's eyes slid to the heiress, still at her post at the back of the ship looking far away into the distance.

Korra let the hand that held his wrist slide down past his glove, and she briefly squeezed his fingers before letting go and walking away.

**_episode 10, turning tides_**

"Is there something we need to talk about?" he asked, all innocence, once Pema had left the room.

Asami shot him a glare before turning back to the sink, scrubbing at the dish in her hands with a vengeance.

"You tell me, Mako," she said, not taking her eyes off the dish. "Is there anything at all you can think of that you might like to tell me? Anything to _confess_?"

The firebender's stance immediately stiffened, defensive.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Asami put down the plate she had just finished rinsing and turned to face him.

"I've noticed how you treat Korra, how you acted when she was missing."

"Wha-?" he sputtered. It was true that he barely left her side since they found her, cut and bruised and barely conscious. But, he was her _friend, _of course he cared about her, of course he was worried and guilt ridden and –

He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, focusing.

"She was taken by a crazy bloodbender, how did you expect me to act?"

The heiress didn't respond and instead just stood there, staring at him as if waiting for him to say something more. Mako felt heat starting to crawl uncomfortably up his neck and towards his ears.

"Look, I don't know what you're trying to get at."

Asami snorted.

"I can't believe you."

The note of disgust in her voice was too much for him, and he snapped.

"Can't believe _what?_"

"You have feeling for Korra." She was calm, steady, '_cool under fire'. _

The words, usually used to describe him, rang mockingly in his head and he flailed for a response.

" What are you talking about?" he finally got out, "of course I don't have -"

"I know about the kiss," she spat before he could fumble out another weak denial.

He was caught and cornered. There were no more evasive maneuvers to turn to, and though it was with words and truths rather than fists and bending, Mako did what he always did when in this kind of situation on the street - he tried to deflect their attacks.

"Bolin told you," he said, accusation flooding his voice.

But Asami was too good.

"Don't blame your brother for what you did," she rebuffed. "You're the one who's been keeping the truth from me this whole time."

"It was a mistake" – another change of tactics – "it didn't mean anything."

"Then why didn't you tell me?" she countered, not missing a beat.

How many times had he done this to his opponents in the ring? An attack from the left, and attack from the right, every attempt at and offensive move anticipated and redoubled until there was no where left to run.

"Because I didn't want to hurt you!" He nearly shouted, arms flung out to the side in a final, desperate gambit.

_ It was to protect you, to protect Bolin – _everything he did, he did for others.

Even before the words were entirely out of his mouth they felt hollow.

Deep down, he knew truth. He did it to protect _himself._ And judging from the way Asami was looking at him she was already aware of this.

"Well that worked out real well. You're so thoughtful." Her voice was quiet, acrid with contempt and sarcasm.

"I like Korra. As if it's not bad enough you've been lying to me, but you've jerking her around, too. We _both _deserve better than this."

It hit him like a disk to the gut, and it was one hit to many.

So he tried to call for a time out.

"Look, things are crazy right now," he said gently, moving one hand over Asami's. "Can't we deal with out relationship problem's later?"

She jerked away –

"Well there might not be a relationship to worry about later."

– and walked out of the kitchen, heels clicking smartly on the wood floor.

Knock out.

**_episode 11, skeletons in the closet_**

Korra couldn't sleep. How could she when her blood, her bones, her very soul, were buzzing, itching to jump into action and fight? Tomorrow the United Forces were due to arrive and she could finally _do _ something, rather than just sneak around and lay low, eating street gruel and watching Pabu's tricks.

She rolled her neck, trying to get some of the tension to leak from her shoulders so she could get some rest. It didn't help that Mako was lurking off in the shadows, oh so characteristically wavering between joining her where she sat against Naga's sleeping form and leaving her be.

The Avatar was careful not tot let on that she knew he was there – if he wanted to talk to her he'd have to take the initiative himself.

All this patience stuff was going to kill her.

She sighed, snuggling her cheek against the sleeping polar bear dog's soft fur. At this point dwelling on her Mako problems was almost a welcome reprieve from the more pressing and dire matters at hand and she couldn't help but indulge herself, to pretend for a moment that she was like a normal seventeen-year-old and that boys were the biggest headache she had to face.

Not that the firebender didn't do his best to make sure that the headache he caused was as persistent and painful as possible.

And then there was Asami...

She'd have to be blind not to see that there were problems in paradise – Asami would hardly look at Mako lately, and when she did it was only for long enough to shoot out something cold and accusatory.

_"Why don't you sit in the back, with _Korra._"_

_ "You two were gone a while."_

Korra couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she was to blame and the fact that none of Asami's ire seemed to be focused directly towards her was only small consolation. Mako had hardly left the Avatar's side since they'd found her after her ordeal with Tarrlok – he was even there at her bedside when she woke up from her long slumber afterwords – and she was ashamed to admit that she loved every moment of it.

Fire always made her feel strong, and she needed strength right now more than ever.

She was drawn from her thoughts by said firebender when he finally decided to approach her.

"Couldn't sleep either?" he asked as he sat down next to her.

Just having him near was enough to lift some of the tension that no amount of stretching or meditation seemed to work on.

"No," she answered. "I have this awful pit in my stomach." She swallowed and glanced at him from the side before quickly darting her eyes forward again. She barely registered his soft, "me, to."

"It's so crazy, a few months ago I was in the South Pole practicing for my firebending test, and now I'm in the middle of an all out war."

She sighed and leaned her head back against Naga, closing her eyes.

"I was so sheltered..."

Her soft admission hung in the air between them, like a spider from its thread. She could feel his eyes on her, could almost count the breaths of space between them.

"It's crazy," she repeated with a shrug, batting the moment away.

"I know." When he spoke his voice was softer than she could remember ever hearing it. "A few months ago I didn't even know you, and now..."

She could feel him shifting infinitesimally closer.

"... I couldn't imagine my life without you in it." His voice was light, but when his eyes caught hers there was an intensity that made her blood run warm and drew her in, closer...

"You're the most loyal..."

...Closer...

"...Brave..."

...Closer...

"And selfless person I've ever met."

Her breath froze in her chest, and with a sudden exhale she turned away even as he leaned forward to close the distance between them.

"I think you're pretty incredible, too," she said, voice barely more than a whisper. She could see the confusion in his face when she looked back at him.

"But you already knew that." It wasn't a reproach, not quite... but it was enough to make his shoulders slump and his head nod forward in defeat.

"I should probably get some sleep," she said.

He nodded, accepting her dismissal, and stood up.

"Me, too. Goodnight."

With Mako gone Korra curled up against Naga's side, and tried once again to calm the buzzing in her veins.

**_episode 12, end game_**

_i._

When Korra announced that she would stay behind and confront Amon, there was no question that Mako would stay with her.

He had to.

And he would continue to.

Ever since his parents' murder, his goals were simple, if not always easy to maintain : protect Bolin, survive. There was no room to think about anything else – right, wrong, emotions – all that mattered was what was most pragmatic, most profitable, whatever gave them the _ best chance._

But then Korra crashed into his life and things stopped being so simple. Suddenly his world cracked open and there was so much more to life than pure survival.

He just wished he hadn't taken so long to realize it.

Because maybe then he wouldn't have caused quite so much pain.

So while Korra and Bolin said their goodbyes, Mako approached Asami. For the first time in days she didn't look at him with anger, and he was grateful for that.

"I'm sorry, for everything." He closed his eyes and took a breath, in and out – apologizing wasn't something he had a lot of practice with, but he figured he'd better start getting used to it.

He met her eyes again, green and beautiful, with lashes that were impossible long and thick even without makeup. They were the eyes of someone who deserved better than a boyfriend who was always thinking about a pair of blue.

"I was selfish, and I hurt you, and..." She just kept staring at him, but he didn't know what else to say.

"And I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure you knew that, even with how things ended between us, I do care about you."

For a moment, one dread filled moment, he thought she might reject his apology and turn away without saying anything.

But she didn't. She was Asami, and she was good.

She smiled, a small, wistful thing, and took a step towards him, lifting herself up on her toes to kiss one cheek.

"I care about you, too."

And then she was gone, climbing on Naga behind Bolin and the general.

And then there was Korra, at his side, asking with her eyes if he was ready to go.

_ ii._

Mako stayed outside in the cold after the air bender went back in, the cold nipping at his nose and ears as he paced, wavering in indecision.

_ "Give her time" _Tenzin said.

Give her time.

Mako knew he was right, that he should let Korra be alone and let her process what had happened.

He should go, not back to Republic City – he could never go back there again, not without her – but back to the hut where Bolin and Asami and her parents and Tenzin's family all waited, solemn, resigned, respecting Korra's need to be alone.

But the selfish part of his heart that he had learned recently was so much larger than he always thought couldn't stand the idea of more time passing,when he has already wasted _so much_. He couldn't stand the thought of her hurting for a single moment, not unless he was there to hold her.

He really was a coward. But whereas before he had been too afraid of the idea of _being_ with the _Avatar, _now he was too afraid of the idea of _not being_ with _Korra._

He scowled, suddenly sick of himself, sick of his indecisiveness, his caution.

His mind was _made up._ He wanted to _be _with Korra, and he needed her to know that. He wanted her know, to understand, that even though everything was unsure and uncertain right now, she didn't need to be uncertain about him anymore.

He was here for her, if she still wanted him, and he wasn't going to change his mind.

And with that thought, the firebender, the orphan, the street rat who fell in love with a fierce, sheltered, beautiful girl, took off, following the tracks left in the snow by a tamed polar bear dog.

It took him a while – Korra had Naga and could cross much more land in less time than Mako could by foot, but he was no stranger to cold or challenge. No amount of time however could have prepared him for what he saw when he finally reached her.

There in the distance, on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea, was not Korra but the Avatar, lit up like a beacon with the power and wisdom of a thousand lives lived. He stopped in his tracks, overtaken by the awesome sight as this frustrating girl wielded all the power of the world, and for a moment he was _terrified _of this being before him.

But then, he remembered, this was Korra, and his terror was replaced with something warm, happy, _proud, _and he knew more then ever that he was ready to devote his life to her.

So when she touched down to the ground and the glow receded, the Avatar State fadind to leave only the girl, he surged towards her with open arms. _If she would have him_.

And she would, it would seem, because before he could prepare himself for the impact she had launched herself into his arms and he was spinning with the momentum.

His mind buzzed with sensation but all he could really truly process was the fact that Korra was in his arms and telling him that she loved him, too, and then they were kissing and he never wanted to let go.


End file.
